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enMeet Serie As Lego-loving hitman whos set to announce himself against EnglandFrancoVázquezis one half of Italys most profitable partnership this season and now the Palermo striker is preparing to make his mark against the Three Lions, writesAdam Digby...Adam Digbyhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/meet-serie-lego-loving-hitman-whos-set-announce-himself-against-england
The 60-second story
Palermo's 2014/15 has mostly been summed up in just two words: Paulo Dybala. When the Sicilian club won Serie B last term, few were sure of what to expect upon the Rosanero'sreturn to the top flight. Led by promotion specialist Beppe Iachini, they had proven a hard-working and resolute side, but one that sold leading scorers Abel Hernández and Kyle Lafferty over the summer and spent very little on replacements. Argentine Dybala has been sensational, no doubt, but he simply wouldn't be as effective were it not for Franco Vázquez alongside him. The Argentina-born striker, who is preparing to make his Italy debut against England on Tuesday, has created sublimely and regularly opened up space in which his partner has thrived.
Still, it's no surprise that he's remained in the background –the 26-year-old is known as El Mudo ('The Mute') in Argentina due to his quiet, unassuming nature. Even last year, when he was regularly left out of the starting line-up, he never complained.
Gennaro Gattuso had no time for the player who arrived in January 2012 and then endured most of the next five months on the bench. A loan spell at Rayo Vallecano the following season failed to ignite his career –but Iachini's appointmentat Palermo did. Vázquez's obvious talents were finally recognised, and veteran Iachini wasrewarded for his decision to make the old-fashioned playmaker the focal point of his side.
This season alongside Dybala, the understanding and interplay between the two Cordoba natives has been nothing short of incredible, having combined to either score or create 34 of Palermo’s 38 league goals this term. Both have taken to Serie A instantly, with Vázquez leading all players in assists (9) and completed dribbles (3.4 per game). He could have added to his current tally of seven goals were it not for the fact he has also hit the woodwork more than any other player this term.
Why you need to know him
When the season got underway and Dybala stole the spotlight, racking up goals and headline inches in equal measure, his tally of 12 goals and seven assists saw him linked with the likes of Arsenal and Juventus.
Club president Maurizio Zamparini suggested he was worth in excess of €40 million, but anyone who has watched the Rosanero closely wouldn't begrudge team-mate Vázquez demanding a cut of any eventual fee.
TALENTSPOTTERThe Premier League-linked star who'll be "better than Ronaldo within two years"
Having established himself as a major influence at Palermo, Vázquez joins a long list of successful South American imports to thrive at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. Unlike Pastore and Edinson Cavani, however, he has opted to represent Italy thanks to his mother's birthplace of Padova.
Having been called up by Antonio Conte but not making it off the bench in the 2-2 draw against Bulgaria, Vázquez could well announce himself against Roy Hodgson’s England in Turin.
Reports suggest he's wanted by both Juventus and Napoli; no bad thing considering the friendly is taking place at the Bianconeri's hometo add an extra layer of intrigue.
While he may still be a largely unknown quantity outside the peninsula, he might well be taking part in the Champions League as early as next season.
Strengths
Vázquez has displayed excellent all-roundquality this season, demonstrating an ability to shine in almost every facet of his game. He has proven capable of scoring a variety of goals from inside the box and long range, with his lobbed effort against Atalanta in December particularly noteworthy.
His aerial prowess is surprisingly good, and his wonderful cushioned header to create Luca Rigoni’s goal against Napoli recently demonstrated that perfectly.
He has proven to be a hugely intelligent player both on and off the ball, capable of spotting passes other players don't see and making runs nobody expects, creating space for either himself or a team-mate by distracting defenders. He has also worked hard when Palermo have lost the ball, averaging just under two tackles and one interception per game in his 27 appearances this term.
Weaknesses
His shooting has been occasionally inaccurate, having found the target with 42% of his attempts this term, while he has also gotten involved in a number of minor spats during games.
Only five players in Serie A have committed more fouls than Vázquez this season, earning him six yellow cards, although just five players have been fouled more often than the Argentine.
His rash challenges often stem from him losing the ball – only Sampdoria’s Stefano Okaka and Paul Pogba of Juventus have been dispossessed more often in 2014/15.
They said...
At first Palermo insisted the player is not for sale, issuing a statement in response to reports claiming clubs had already opened negotiations with Vázquez. “There has not been, nor will there be, any contact between Juventus and Palermo, or between our club and Napoli, for Franco Vázquez,” it read last month, adding: “The Argentine will be a reference point for our football next season.
“In any case, to discourage approaches, the price of the player is set at over €25 million,” it concluded.
Nevertheless, presidentZamparini went back on his word by claiming both Vázquez and Dybala could be offloaded and are both wanted by... well, everyone.
“Dybala and Vazquez will probably be sold this summer,” he told Pianeta Milan. “Will they go to Milan? No, they certainly won't be joining the Rossoneri. They are being tracked by Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.” Hmmm.
Did you know?
After revealing that he loves building Lego sets – “I’ve got five of them,” he confessed – Vázquez admitted that the PlayStation remains his first love, and that he and Dybala regularly challenge each other to FIFAgames. “But neither of us take Palermo,” Vázquez told Sportweek magazine last month. “I play with Arsenal or Chelsea, him with PSG or Manchester United. I choose Arsenal because I really like their style of football, always keeping the ball on the ground.”
What happens next?
It's difficult to imagine Palermo hanging onto Vázquez,given his club's need to maximise its profits and the excellent form he has displayed all season.
And with some of the continent’s biggest sides now paying attention to Serie A's quiet man, the imminent Italy international could soon be representing them for real rather than pretending to in his virtual battles against Dybala.
featureMon, 30 Mar 2015 17:40:00 +0000Joe Brewin368534 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comWayne Rooney vs Bobby Charlton: who has the best England scoring record? With Lithuania the latest victims, England skipper Wayne Rooney is closing in on Sir Bobby Charltons goal tallies for both club and country but which players achievements are most impressive for England?Matt Alleninvestigates...Matt Allenhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/wayne-rooney-vs-bobby-charlton-who-has-best-england-scoring-record
These are landmark days for Wayne Rooney. Now in his 10th year at Manchester United and still seemingly an integral part of Louis van Gaal's attacking corps at Old Trafford, the Croxteth-born 'street-baller' is now England captain. Yet there has been much discussion about his career in recent weeks, from both media and supporters alike.
Many national reporters have analysed his achievements so far and, almost as importantly, considered whether the player has lived up to his potential. Meanwhile, Red Devils fans continue to witness the good and the bad of his game – such as in autumn when a goal against West Ham was promptly followed by a red card for a frustrated swing of a boot at Stewart Downing in the same match.
Some of this debate has even come from Rooney himself. When Jonathan Northcroft of The Telegraph asked him flat-out whether he'd matched the status that accompanied his spectacular emergence in 2002, the striker, who turned 29 in October, replied: "I still believe I can get better as a footballer. In the next three to five years you will see me as a different player.
"The next two or three could be the best years of my career. I’m at a stage, especially after playing at this club for 10 years, where I’ve picked up a lot about the game. I’ve learnt. I now know exactly what I want to do on the pitch and I’m fit and ready to do it."
Interestingly there is an awareness of age and the heights to which he can operate in his next phase. In the same interview, Rooney spoke of Alan Shearer and how, with his legs slowing and his career reaching the flushes of autumn, the former England talisman still managed 150 goals after his 29th birthday.
Beating Bobby
If Rooney was to match that achievement, there would be some serious rewriting of the record books. For starters, Sir Bobby Charlton's Manchester United goalscoring mark of 249 is within range – Rooney is only 20 behind – but it's on the international stage where he can really make his mark. For England, Sir Bobby scored 49 goals in 106 appearances between the years of 1958 and 1970. Rooney has 47 in 102 games. It's very much there for the taking, and he knows it.
''I'd be a fool if I didn't look at Sir Bobby Charlton's record and feel capable of passing him," he said when pushed on the subject last year. "It's in my sights. I want to do it. Hopefully one day I can.
"Both records have stood for a long time, and a lot of players have attempted to break them. Now they're in touching distance, the two of them. It's something I'd love to do. I feel I'm capable of doing it. Hopefully one day I'll hold the two records. I'm confident that I can."
Since October, he's made a lot of headway, scoring against San Marino, Estonia, Slovenia, Scotland (twice) and Lithuania to equal his own shared record of bagging in five successive England games. And with the Three Lions set to face all bar the Auld Enemy again before Euro 2016, there's every chance Rooney will head off to the tournament safely in possession of the record, and notching the bar ever higher for those who came behind him.
Typically, as with everything Rooney, there will be the inevitable talk that his goals haven't stacked up against Sir Bobby's; that the opposition was better in "those days"; that England play too many fixtures in the modern game, and, well, Rooney hasn't won a World Cup (or even impressed at one, for that matter).
But are those accusations actually fair? After all, every movement he makes is endlessly analysed, while Sir Bobby was scrutinised less so during his playing career mainly due to the fact that there was no Sky Sports News, MUTV or Twitter experts mulling over his every step. Yes, Sir Bobby won the 1966 World Cup, but in a team surrounded by gifted individuals. In recent years, Rooney has played in a team considerably less talented than that of '66 or indeed '70.
To settle the debate then, how about we take a statistical look at the story so far: Charlton's 49 goals –how and where they were scored, and under what circumstances –before stacking them up against Rooney's. That should settle the debate once and for all, right?
And before we go on, what follows is a simple comparison of stats and is in no way an assessment of tactical deployment, versatility, quality of footballer, strengths, weaknesses, duff games and so on. Just so you know, before you start tweeting furiously at us...
(All stats from Englandstats.comand correct as at Mon 30 Mar 2015)
1) Tournament qualifiers
Wayne Rooney: 46 apps (27 goals); 1 goal every 1.70 games
Bobby Charlton: 19 (12); 1 goal every 1.58 games
There's a widely held belief among football fans that modern international football is a monetary merry-go-round of fixtures designed to drum up cash for associations who are in debt to builders and stadium architects (that'll be ours, then). And while there's certainly more than enough games to incur the wrath of domestic gaffers, the number of ties has hardly increased – in 1963, for example, England played nine matches over a calendar year, the same as in 2011.
It's the importance of the games that's changed. Both those sample years were ones without a major tournament, yet in 1963 England played eight friendlies, of which four were of the old Home Championship, plus one European Championship qualifier against France. In 2011 there were five qualifiers, plus friendlies against the likes of Spain and Sweden.
The point is this: England now play more fixtures of significance (depending on how you view their qualifying pools) and Rooney has competed in far more pressurised games. And he's stepped up too, scoring a goal every 1.70 matches for over 50% of his total tally. Likewise with Charlton, when England were called upon to qualify, though he delivered with even greater regularity – a goal every 1.58 games.
Again the devil is in the detail: Charlton played 1710 minutes in qualifying; Rooney 3695. Charlton scored every 142.5 minutes; Rooney, 136.9. During 2014/15 the Scouser has overtaken Sir Bobby's goals-per-qualifying-minute rate, but there's not a lot between them.
An interesting footnote: between 1966 and 1968, the British Home Championship was used to determine progression to the European Championship's second round, so the six games Charlton played during that time are counted as qualifying fixtures here; he scored three goals.
VERDICT: The goals-to-game and minutes-per-goal ratios tell a story of life before and after the introduction of substitutions at international level. While Charlton was fractionally more likely to score in any given game, Rooney has supplied more goals per minute.2) Friendlies
Wayne Rooney: 39 (14); 1 goal every 2.79 games
Bobby Charlton: 71 (32); 1 goal every 2.21 games
It's in friendlies that Charlton really made hay, scoring nearly 75% of his haul between 1958 and 1970. However, assessing this tally through playing minutes is more interesting than looking at caps earned.
Why? Well, Charlton certainly played far more friendlies than Rooney has so far. Working on a rough average of five friendlies per year, to feature in as many as Sir Bobby, Rooney would have to keep going until Qatar 2022 – not unfeasible given his tactical flexibility, but the Scouse would by then be a 37-year-old warhorse (and quite possibly not be the top priority pick for friendlies).
Furthermore, Charlton also played 90 minutes on a regular basis (substitutions were far more limited back then, of course) and was only substituted during the twilight of his career.
Rooney, meanwhile, in an era of free substitutions (as popularised by Sven-Goran Eriksson), has played 2649 minutes of a potential 3420 (78% of the matches he has featured in), give or take some time added on. That's a whopping 8.6 matches' worth of missed time, making a case that his goals actually took place in 30.4 matches rather than 39 (so a goal every 2.17 games, then).
Meanwhile, Charlton played 6330 minutes of a potential 6390 (99%), which explains his far superior goal return. It could also be argued that a large percentage of his tally lacked the importance of goals scored in qualifiers. Certainly, there were hat-tricks in drubbings of USA (8-1, 1959), Mexico (8-0, 1961), and Switzerland (8-1, 1963).
Still, let's be fair: a number of friendlies in the 1960s and 1970s were played in the British Home Championship, a tournament comprising of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, where matches were fiercely contested and rumbled with old school blood 'n' thunder. In those meetings, Charlton scored 10 times in 20 showings, another impressive return.
Interestingly, Rooney has yet to score a hat-trick in an England shirt, but that's probably down to the fact that there are no easy fixtures in international football these days, right? Right?
VERDICT: A tricky call, so we'll say evens. Sure, Charlton has a superior goals-to-game ratio, but he played a full 90 minutes in nearly every match. He also became a flat-track bully in games against inferior opposition. Interestingly, during Rooney's career, England's biggest friendly win was a 6-0 destruction of Jamaica in a warm-up game to the 2006 World Cup, though he didn't feature because of injury.
Meanwhile, friendly matches are rarely one-sided affairs these days; poor teams do not put bums on stadium seats. Even ahead of the tougher friendlies pre-Euro 2016 (and subsequent Nations League), England have recently played games against World Cup teams including Ecuador, Honduras, Germany, Chile and Brazil with no 8-0 or 10-1 scorelines in view.3) European Championship finals
Wayne Rooney: 6 (5); 1 goal every 1.2 games
Bobby Charlton: 2 (1); 1 goal every 2.0 games
Talk about missed opportunities.
Rooney announced himself at Euro 2004, grabbing four goals in four games. His opener, the first in a brace against Switzerland, made him the youngest player to score in the competition (though that only lasted four days before Swiss forward Johan Vonlanthen went on to beat it). Until injury halted his (and England's) progression in the quarter-finals against Portugal, Rooney looked unstoppable.
This is arguably his international highlight so far. Steve McClaren's side failed to qualify in 2008 and Rooney has only scored one European Championship goal since. That strike came in 2012 when, after a two-game suspension, he grabbed the winner against Ukraine. He did score in the penalty shootout against Italy in the next round, but that doesn't count here.
For Charlton, his one European Championship goal was bittersweet. England had been knocked out of the 1968 competition at the semi-final stage by Yugoslavia, a game in which he hit the woodwork. In the third place play-off, he netted his 46th England goal against the Soviet Union.
One suspects both players will look upon their tallies in this category and wonder what if.
VERDICT: Rooney, hands down. His 100% record in the 2004 finals, twinned with another strike in his next two appearances, edge him ahead of Charlton. There's also a feeling that his force-of-nature debut might have carried England further had he not picked up an injury.4) World Cup finals
Wayne Rooney: 11 (1); 1 goal every 11 games
Bobby Charlton: 14 (4); 1 goal every 3.5 games
Contrasting fortunes for both players here. For Rooney the World Cup has been a source of frustration; he only registered his first goal in the summer against Uruguay. In previous tournaments he has either been recovering from injury (2006) or suffering from poor form (2010).
Charlton, while hardly matching the stats of Rooney in the European Championship, has an impressive record at the World Cup, scoring goals against Argentina in the 1962 group stage, and Eusebio's Portugal (twice) and Mexico in 1966.
This reduced goals-to-game tally can be aligned to the superior quality of opponents. In the three World Cups he featured in, Charlton faced Brazil twice (1962, 1970), West Germany twice (1966, 1970), Argentina twice (1962, 1966) and Portugal (1966).
VERDICT: Just look at the stats: Rooney would agree that his World Cup performances haven't lived up to high expectations. Charlton, meanwhile, has scored goals in tournaments where England have faced impressive opposition. Plus he's won the thing.
Read on for the conclusion...Conclusion
Both records are incredibly strong, with Sir Bobby's goalscoring presence in friendly fixtures, plus his four World Cup goals, giving him the slight edge in goals-per-game and minutes-per-goal ratios. Still, Rooney has played considerably fewer minutes during his career so far – 7662 compared to Sir Bobby's 9435. The difference of 1773 adds up to 19.7 matches.
There is, of course, the issue of time which is very much on Rooney's side. He would now be very disappointed not to break the 49 mark before the year's end, and given most of those appearances will be in qualifying games for the European Championship, extra weight will be added to his overall tally.
But what of Sir Bobby and the implications of his broken record? Well, he's already suggested it's there for the taking, and seems pretty happy with the inevitable toppling, too.
"He is really keen to break my record, which seems to have stood for a long time," he said. "I’ve told him not to worry too much. He has my backing. I’ll be quite happy when it comes. I told him: 'Think hard about it and maybe you’ll have some good news.' I’ve had good news from it all my life. I don’t mind him taking it.
"It would a great achievement – and it would be a change for me. That’s good. He’s a good lad and I don’t mind it at all."
There's a caveat to all this, of course. "What we have to do now is make sure that he wins," said Sir Bobby. "[England] need to start winning. It is all very well having these accolades that people push to you, but you have to make sure you get something out of it."
Rooney himself would agree his World Cup performances haven't lived up to high expectations. Charlton, meanwhile, has scored goals in tournaments where England have faced impressive opposition. He also got that all-important winner's medal; during 1966 he scored goals of phenomenal importance that will be forever etched in the history books. That is surely what Rooney wants more than any mathematical record.
featureMon, 30 Mar 2015 16:37:07 +0000Joe Brewin264346 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comHow post-Prandelli Italy have moved on after their own disastrous World CupThe FA lent their support to Roy Hodgson despite Englands dismal showing, while Cesare Prandelli walked before he was pushed from the Italy job. Nine-and-a-half months on,Greg Leaevaluates a new-look Azzurri...Greg Leahttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/how-post-prandelli-italy-have-moved-after-their-own-disastrous-world-cup
It wasn't supposed to end the way it did. Heading into the 2014 World Cup, hopes were high in Italy that the national side could continue the steady progress they'd made under the guidance of Cesare Prandelli over the previous four years since suffering in South Africa.
Having astonishingly finished bottom of a weak group containing Slovakia, New Zealand and Paraguay in 2010 with Marcello Lippi at the helm, Prandelli had led the Azzurri to the final of Euro 2012 and semi-finals of the Confederations Cup. A new style of play had been inducted, with Italy taking the initiative and looking to dominate the ball in a way that was antithetical to the traditional stereotype of defensive reactivity.
Last summer’s competition in Brazil was seen as Prandelli’s chance to unleash this new-look Italy on the world stage. Then Diego Godin struck in the 81st minute.
In truth, the Uruguay captain may have landed the decisive blow but Italy were already on the ropes. A towering header from the Atletico Madrid centre-back was enough to seal a 1-0 victory that saw the South Americans progress at Prandelli’s side’s expense, but a feeble defeat to Costa Rica in the previous game had already shed light on a number of Italian weaknesses.
Indeed, while there were clearly unfortunate moments – not least Luis Suarez’s unpunished bite on Giorgio Chiellini – it was difficult to argue that Italy deserved anything more. Even Prandelli himself didn't attempt to disguise his side’s failings, telling reporters after elimination was confirmed that “when a professional project fails, it is right to take responsibility”.
He did just that, tendering his resignation at his post-match press conference. Despite the undeniable progress made since 2010, there was only ever going to be one outcome.
Italy, perhaps more so than any other nation, invariably places the result above all else, and the only question was whether Prandelli would jump or wait to be pushed.
Conte's way
Nine months on, it's Antonio Conte who will be in the home dugout when England travel to Turin on Tuesday night. Italy have only played seven games since that defeat to Uruguay in Natal, but this is already a markedly different team.
Indeed, the change wasn't simply the man in the dugout, but an entire philosophy. Both Prandelli and Conte have enjoyed great success in their careers – although the latter’s three scudetti with Juventus surely trump the former’s work at Roma and Fiorentina – but they have achieved it in contrasting ways.
Whereas Prandelli preaches patience and possession, Conte favours high-tempo, high-intensity. His Juve team were so fast and aggressive, pressing high and going for the throat once the ball had been won.
This approach was evident even in Conte’s first game in charge of Italy, a friendly win against the Netherlands in September. Italy sought to get the ball forward quickly and exploit gaps in a way that they were criticised for not doing enough under Prandelli.
Ciro Immobile opened the scoring inside three minutes following Daniele De Rossi’s lofted pass over the top, before the Azzurri converted a penalty after Simone Zaza was brought down when chasing another quick De Rossi ball behind the Dutch defence.
There are also differences in formation. Conte is devoted to 3-5-2, a configuration synonymous with Italian football likely because of the security it offers in central areas.
Prandelli employed the same system at times, yet he also used a 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2 and 4-3-2-1, demonstrating a flexibility not usually associated with the former Juve coach.
With its reliance on wing-backs to cover the entire flank, there is a feeling that the 3-5-2 is vulnerable to quick switches of play and less suited to the faster pace of the game outside Italy, which gives Conte something to consider ahead of next summer’s European Championship in France.
Juventus’s domestic dominance under their former midfielder perhaps precluded the need for a Plan B, yet the Bianconeri have looked more able to balance the demands of Serie A and Champions League under Max Allegri, who has gradually moved towards a 4-3-1-2 as the season has progressed.
Balo banished
In terms of personnel, there have also been changes under Conte, with Mario Balotelli one player to have been discarded. The striker has struggled to hold down a place in Liverpool’s team this term because his relatively static style is largely considered incompatible with Brendan Rodgers’ high-energy outfit. He faces the same problem at international level too, with Conte demanding commitment, work-rate and pressing.
That is part of the reason why Sassuolo’s Zaza has become such a fixture in the side; his eagerness to close down opposition centre-backs and contribute in the defensive phase of play endearing him to Conte in a way that Balotelli has yet to manage.
Marco Verratti is also expected to play a more prominent role with the Azzurri in the coming years. Now 22, the PSG midfielder showcased his exceptional ability to an English audience at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, and is considered by many Italians to be a player the national team should be built around, even if Conte has repeatedly preached the need for the former Pescara man to be patient.
INTERVIEWVerratti: "Some players my age have a problem, thinking they have arrived before they have"
Palermo’s Franco Vazquez, Sampdoria’s Eder and Napoli’s Manolo Gabbiadini have all also had impressive seasons and are expected to be involved against England, with more seasoned internationals like Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Gianluigi Buffon also likely to play a part. There is a good balance to the side, and Conte’s track record suggests he is the right man to mould everything together productively.
It is still early days for Italy and England as they prepare to face off in the slow build-up to Euro 2016. The pair’s underwhelming group stage exits from the World Cup led to very different managerial outcomes: Prandelli resigned before he was sacked, while Roy Hodgson was given a stay of execution.
Regardless, both sides now have a fresh feel to them. Hodgson has called-up in-form youngsters like Harry Kane and, although he has been in the job for only nine months, Conte has already put his stamp on this Azzurri team. In among the 3-5-2, demands for sacrifice and a high-tempo style, Italians everywhere will be hoping that the three-time scudetto winner has also brought his penchant for success along for the ride.
PSEUDONEWSEngland and Italy both wondering if it’s too late to cancel
featureMon, 30 Mar 2015 15:35:00 +0000Joe Brewin368492 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEngland and Italy both wondering if it’s too late to cancel Turin friendlyEngland and Italy are both pondering whether itd be rude to call off Tuesday nights meeting in Turin at such short notice, reports Back of the Net...Back of the Nethttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/england-and-italy-both-wondering-if-its-too-late-cancel-turin-friendly
The two sides arranged to meet several months ago in a flurry of goodwill and nostalgia, but with the plan looming large, both nations are starting to wonder whether it was a good idea.
After playing Euro 2016 qualifiers at the weekend, the teams have been sort of hoping the other will call to put off their Tuesday night encounter.
With the match now so close, it may be too late to cancel unless either side can find a cast iron excuse.
“We always say we should meet up more often, but when it comes to it I don’t think either of us are that bothered,” England told FourFourTwo.
“I like Italy, don’t me wrong, but I’m just not sure about going all that way on a Tuesday evening. I don’t know why they couldn’t come to us.
“We really don’t have anything in common. An evening of patient build-up play and expressive hand gestures isn’t my idea of fun. As soon as we start doing something I like, such as a shoulder barge or an aerial tussle, they get very touchy and act offended.
“Somehow or other the evening never ends up going the way I had in mind. I wouldn’t put it past them to spring a penalty shootout on us or something. God I hate those.”
While the Juventus Stadium has been cleaned, the pitch marked out neatly and the English national anthem keyed up and ready to play, England’s arrival isn’t eagerly anticipated.
“I’m always telling people that I like England, even though they can be hard work,” Italy admitted.
“I seriously considered saying the stadium had flooded or I had got stuck at Bulgaria’s place, but they’d see right through that now. I wish I hadn’t had such a big night with Bulgaria now. Usually I came away from a meeting with England happy with how it went, but the actual experience isn’t enjoyable.
“It’s very frenetic and rushed, everything has to go at a mile per minute. And to be honest England can be a little boorish. Sometimes I feel embarrassed in case Spain or Germany see us together acting like that.
“Plus, all this effort running around getting the place spotless and, you wait, all England will bring is a stupid pennant. Again.”
More from Back of the Net
featureMon, 30 Mar 2015 12:00:00 +0000Joe Brewin368453 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBoos brothers: Why football fans criticise their heroesGareth Bales getting it in the neck from Madridistas, to shock-horror reaction back home but Huw Davies spies a trend...Huw Davieshttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/boos-brothers-why-football-fans-criticise-their-heroes
Do you remember the time Gareth Bale called Cristiano Ronaldo a preening tosspot? Or the time he shot the Mayor of Madrid? No? Well, Real Madrid supporters apparently do.
Because surely, surely, the man whose headed goal won Los Merengues the fabled, long-awaited Decima isn’t being abused by the club’s fans for something so transient as a brief loss of form.
The Welshman has had his commitment questioned, car vandalised and decision-making jeered by the Madrid ‘faithful’ (to use the term loosely). The booing he received for shooting when 2-0 up against Espanyol instead of squaring the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo is the most famous incident, and also the one that arguably began the dramatic inquest of recent months.
Never mind that Bale passes to Ronaldo far more often than the other way around. Never mind that Ronaldo often looks noticeably miffed when his team-mate scores. Never mind that if you watch the clip again and pause at the moment Bale shoots, you can see he probably makes the right decision.
He has a good chance of scoring, whereas the pass to Ronaldo would require very exact weighting – and if it wasn’t, Bale would instead have been accused of bottling the chance.
But this isn’t all about Gareth Bale. Even modern greats such as Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo felt the entitled wrath of Madridistas. And for once – and don’t tell them this – it isn’t all about Real Madrid, either.
Transfers and transactions
It happens in pre-season friendlies, it happens at half-time after a goalless 45 minutes against a scrapping underdog, and it happens all over the world. For today’s fans, booing your own team is de rigeur, the 21st-century rattle. The reason, as ever, is simple: money.
As ticket prices continue to rise and sponsorships become more important to clubs than their seat-filling lifeblood, it’s no surprise that matchgoing fans feel more like customers than supporters. They haven’t been equals for some time – since footballers turned professional, in fact – but there was at least a sense among supporters that they mattered to the club they love. It’s hard to feel that way when taking a family of four to a Premier League match can easily set you back hundreds of pounds. That makes going to the football a financial chore, another itemised bill to place alongside the rent and petrol receipts. A transaction.
Even so, it’s interesting to see the boo-boy culture growing in the UK. The British tradition of quiet disgruntlement, rather than outrage, is giving way to the millennial attitude of entitlement, especially when parting with cold hard cash. Why wouldn’t you boo your useless team? They owe you.
Booing this way only really happens in sport – arguably only in football – and part of it is surely down to being in a group. That doesn’t just create a sense of belonging, but also anonymity which you don’t get when faced with the prospect of complaining mano e mano (or ‘moano e moano’). It’s all right, we’ll pick out the weevils. Yes, the cab driver snarled racist slurs all journey, but we should really tip anyway. Did that young player just misplace a pass in the 10th minute of the game? BOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Class act
The claim (between bouts of booing) that it’s a form of protest doesn’t really stand up. Protests express anger or disappointment but they’re also meant to do something – something positive. Even those marching against a war-mongering despot do so in the hope that it will effect change for the better.
Booing your own team, on the other hand, will only make them perform worse. There’s no incentive to prove the opposition fans wrong or feed off the abuse; you’re just hearing that your own supporters hate you. Oddly, that doesn’t help.
The questionable decision to jeer players isn’t down to class or intelligence, either. Far too often, football fans are wrongly depicted – especially from those outside the sport – as working-class muppets who probably only boo because it’s the most syllables they can muster together. That isn’t the case.
Again, it’s the sense of entitlement that comes from parting with so much of your hard-earned wages to watch one team perform better than another team, even though that in itself is a gamble.
As for the class argument, nonsense – it’s no secret that Arsenal’s support, well known for its tendency to voice complaints when angered, is leaning increasingly and inevitably towards the well-off end of the scale, and Real Madrid fans are more likely to come from the ‘better’ half of the city. (It makes you wonder, actually, what the thousands of football tourists in the Bernabeu make of all the hanky-waving when the home side are strolling towards victory).
High expectations
Mutinous moaning has become more popular and more widespread. Even good teams in the midst of a successful season will experience it from a selection of supporters. A few examples plucked from memory:
Tottenham when drawing 0-0 with Wigan at half-time in the early days of Andre Villas-Boas, a month after winning at Old Trafford for the first time in decades (they’d go on to lose for only the fourth time in their opening 15 matches).
Crystal Palace after losing heavily at home to Birmingham in March 2013, when they were fourth in the table, had taken 17 points from their previous 9 games and would soon be promoted to the Premier League.
Bayern Munich when going down to Borussia Monchengladbach for their second league defeat of the season, and slipping to only 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
You wonder what they expect.
Of course, the jeering and whistling doesn’t come from all of the club’s fans, especially in Bayern’s case. Across football, the Boo Army are still the very vocal minority. There are far more supporters who back their side whatever the circumstances.
In this respect, Manchester United fans, for all their faults, bucked the trend under David Moyes. For the most part, supporters gave ‘The Chosen One’ time to turn things around; even Andy Tate’s infamous “YOU’RE A FEWELL!” rant came as March turned into April.
After the impassioned plea to “get behind your manager” from the retiring Alex Ferguson on his final day at the office, United fans did that, either through a sense of loyalty to the club or faith that whatever they themselves thought, the greatest manager in their history had made the right decision.
You’d expect it to be easier if you support a Big Club. For fans of a Big Club, failure is just success on a lesser scale. Many supporters of clubs in the fourth tier and below shake their heads in disbelief at the throngs booing their players, their manager, destroying confidence, undermining self-belief and belief in the club, all because their team is merely the fifth-best in the land.
But then, it’s not that simple. These fans suffer a Stockholm Syndrome of success. Having been given better, they expect better. And there’s that word again: ‘expect’.
Pay £50 at a restaurant and you expect a good meal. Pay £50 to watch a film and you wonder what the hell kind of cinema you’re in. Pay £50 at a football ground and you expect an hour and a half of entertainment culminating in a happy ending.
Which brings us back to money. There are many reasons why supporters boo their players and attack their players’ cars. But above all, fans aren’t idiots. They’re customers, expecting good service. Bale take note.
featureMon, 30 Mar 2015 11:20:00 +0000Gary Parkinson367313 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBarnes made us all confused about what he’d do, that’s why no one tackled himJohn Barnes slalom spectacular against Brazil, as told by the men he beat at the Maracana in 1984...Mauricio Savaresehttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/john-barnes-great-goals-retold
John Barnes has said that scoring a career-defining stunner, dribbling past the Brazilian defence at the Maracana in 1984, was an “out-of-body experience” – since he can’t remember doing it. When FFT asks for the recollections of the men he ran past, the response isn’t so different.
“English goal... English goal... are you sure it was in Rio?” asks right-back Leandro, the first to be tricked by the then-Watford winger. We find a video clip to jog his memory. “Oh, I remember now! Yes, that was a nice goal he scored. What’s he called again?”
It seems Barnes’ mazy dribble is less well-known in Brazil than it is in England. “Well, it was a goal we conceded; we usually prefer to forget those,” jokes Leandro. “It’s fair that the English love that goal, but in Brazil we have a better memory for World Cup goals. We all remember Michael Owen’s goal against Argentina – but that’s because it was against Argentina!”
The greatest goal ‘Digger’ ever scored came in a friendly that England only played because they hadn’t qualified for Euro 1984 in France, and helped to at least briefly lift the nation’s spirits.
Ricardo Gomes was another defender to be beaten in that epic run by Barnes, oddly clad in white shirt, white shorts and red socks. Gomes says any Brazilian would be proud to have scored it.
“He made us all confused about what he’d do and that’s why no one tackled him. There was nothing I could do.” Leandro agrees. “Barnes stopped the ball really well and I went to the right because I thought someone could be coming up from behind. That gave him more space.”
“Great goals at the Maracana can get a plaque with the date and name of the person who netted it,” adds Gomes. “I believe Barnes probably deserves to be there as well.”
This feature originally appeared in the August 2014 edition of FourFourTwo magazine.Subscribe!
featureFri, 27 Mar 2015 15:00:00 +0000Gregg Davies367275 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comScouting report on Lithuania clearly copied from WikipediaEnglands preparations for the game against Lithuania have been oddly generic, Back of the Net reports...Back of the Nethttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/scouting-report-lithuania-clearly-copied-wikipedia
England boss Roy Hodgson has warned his team to expect a national football team under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation when they take on Lithuania at Wembley.
The Three Lions will be expected to maintain their 100 percent record in Euro 2016 qualifying Group E when they take on Lithuania, but a methodical Hodgson ordered a thorough scouting report ahead of the clash.
However, when the report arrived yesterday it bore a striking resemblance to the Wikipedia page for the Lithuania national football team, leaving the England boss struggling to give an insight into the opposition.
“In Lithuania we have a team who played its first match in 1923,” Hodgson told FourFourTwo.
“In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on 27 May of that year. The 15,030 capacity Zalgiris Stadium became home of the national football team.”
When asked who might pose a threat to England’s backline, Hodgson initially suggested Lithuania’s all-time top scorer Tomas Danilevicius, who retired in 2012, or Antanas Lingis, who passed away in 1941, before pointing out that Lithuania’s biggest defeat was 10-0 to Egypt on May 27, 1924.
“They have some good young talent coming through,” Hodgson warned, scanning a squad list. “Like Justinas Janusevskij and Tautvydas Eliosius.”
When asked for more information on the men he had named, Hodgson was forced to admit that they were red links but invited the public to start an account and create an article using the Article Wizard, if possible before kick-off this evening.
“Lithuania is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south and the Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian enclave) to the south-west,” Hodgson concluded. “Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and peat bog fires.”
England’s scouting is usually renowned for its thorough analysis. In Estonia, England were able to dominate possession due to a keen awareness of their opponents’ formation, while against San Marino Hodgson’s men weren’t fazed by the minnows possessing the oldest written constitution still in effect.
[Citation needed]
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featureFri, 27 Mar 2015 14:20:00 +0000James Maw367257 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comKane undergoes traditional England initiation Harry Kane has been given a risqué welcome to the England squad, Back of the Net reports...Back of the Nethttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/kane-undergoes-traditional-england-initiation
After being selected in the England senior squad for the first time, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane was subjected to an embarrassing initiation ritual dating back to 1872.
A sniggering Wayne Rooney handed Kane a leather-bound book containing Ovid’s Ars Amatoria and his new team-mates hooted their appreciation as the new boy dutifully translated its elegiac, erotic couplets.
To mutterings of “He’s doing it!”, Kane – blushing crimson red – navigated the 57 Latin poems, in the main providing an adequate translation to the delight of the rest of the squad, despite being more comfortable with the dactylic hexameters more usually associated with a didactic work.
“To be fair to the Citizen [Harry Kane], he’s stood up there and been a good sport,” Leighton Baines told FourFourTwo.
“[The initiation] is great for team bonding but it’s tough on the lad who’s staring down a gerundive in a text that’s more than 1800 years old.
“I’ll never forget the mess I made of Martial’s Book X back in 2010. Just the other day I came back to me [my] locker and the lads had written: ‘These are the things, most prolific, fruitful / And inventive Martialis, that make life good’ on it in marker pen.”
“It’s all good fun,” Rooney told FFT. “We’ll give the new lad a piece of Ovid or Martial to translate, something a bit juicy – but never Catullus. We have our limits.
“The way Harry dealt with the end of the second book, a classical take on the topic of simultaneous orgasm, showed us all that if he gets a chance against Lithuania he’ll keep his cool.”
Kane’s Tottenham team-mate Danny Rose reportedly pulled out of the squad to face Lithuania and Italy as he feared he would be forced to translate Catullus's16, the smutty hendecasyllabic masterpiece widely held responsible for the decline of Francis Jeffers.
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featureFri, 27 Mar 2015 12:05:00 +0000Gary Parkinson367208 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBlind ambition: Englands visually impaired out to prove theyre made of tough stuffAs the World Games approach, Aaron Fowler sheds some light on the Three Lions hopes of success in Seoul and the Grand Plan going forward...Aaron Fowlerhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/blind-ambition-englands-visually-impaired-out-prove-theyre-made-tough-stuff
"I'll have to tell you this before anyone else does. We always get asked 'How do you know you've scored a goal?'
"It was the first game of the 2010 World Cup and we were playing in front of about 900 people. I picked the ball up in the bottom-right corner of our pitch. I've gone past one, two, three players and I was through on goal on my left foot. I hit a shot sweetly and side-footed it towards the corner.
"The crowd behind the goal erupted and I went mad –I was pulling out all sorts of celebrations, only to find out a few seconds later that the goalkeeper has picked up the ball and thrown it down our end. The ball had gone just past the post and nestled in the side-netting. The crowd couldn't see it."
Meet Keryn Seal, the Welsh captain of England's blind football team. How? Well, the 33-year-old Arsenal fan from Exeter qualifies to play for the Three Lions via residency, and made his debut in 2005. "I often get asked how a Welshman ended up captaining England and I get plenty of stick," he jokes.
(Video: June 2011)
The intervention
Blind footballers intrigued a global audience at the London 2012 Paralympics, displaying skills and ball control any professional would be proud of.
You might remember David Clarke, the England blind football legend and former captain whose international record of 128 goals in 144 appearances makes Bobby Charlton's 49 international goals seem mediocre. "It's not a record that's burning on my horizon to break, basically because I wouldn't be able to even if I wanted," says current skipper Seal, who has scored nine goals in 90 appearances.
The Three Lions are currently managed by their former goalkeeper and assistant manager Jon Pugh, who became head coach of the national side last September.
The 38-year-old made more than 100 appearances for England between 1996 and 2008 thanks to some handy circumstances. "I live in the same town as the then-head coach Tony Larkin," he tells FFT.
"So he asked me if I would come to training and see if I liked the sport.I fell in love with it straight away, and that's my 20 years of involvement filled."
In 2013 the team became professional, but its long-term future was cast in doubt last year when UK Sport pulled the plug on funding. Thankfully, the FA stepped in to inject £1 million over the next two years.
In October last year, a purpose-built blind football pitch was opened at St George's Park. The only other pitch in the country opened in 2008 at the Royal National College for the Blind (RNCB) in Hereford.
"We're all very fortunate that the FA have thrown their hat in the ring and made such a precedent in making us the first disability football team to have full-time contracts," says Seal.
"The fact we can spend so much time together means we can work on our team shape, our tactics and stuff we weren't able to when we were amateur. We only had one training camp per month if we were lucky."
Rules of the game
Blind football is played by athletes who are either totally or almost completely blind, and have a B1 sight classification. Essentially it's five-a-side with four blind outfield players who wear blindfolds, and a sighted goalkeeper. The ball contains ballbearings which make a noise, allowing players to locate it.
Players rely on instructions from the coaches and keeper during the game, as coach Pugh explains. "In blind football the pitch is divided up almost into three," he says.
"You have a guide behind the goal who coaches the attacking zone, the fully-sighted goalkeeper controls the defence and I stand off the pitch on the halfway line giving out tactical information."
Tackling is another matter entirely, says Seal. "If you're within two to three metres it's at the discretion of the referee, but you have to say the word 'voy'," he explains. "It's a fairness thing really, so you can't rock up out of the blue and smash someone.
"If anyone has seen the game then they will know it's a very dribbling-based game, so there is less passing than you would see in any other form of football. Players need to be able to dribble with both feet, and the ball is a lot closer to you than in sighted football."
Stay still and shout
The team have training camps two or three times per month at St George's Park or the RNCB. Away from their camps, players train six days a week, with focus on technical, fitness, strength and yoga sessions.
While there are many similarities to the game as we know it, Pugh says it's important as a manager to, well... stand still. This is no game for Jose Mourinho.
"When you put yourself into a coaching position, you're using yourself as a reference point," says Pugh. "When we're doing tactical stuff on the pitch, it's important the coach doesn't move around too much because otherwise they [the players] can become disorientated.
"We do a lot of educational stuff in the classroom using tactile tactics boards so we can get across our ideas and what we are trying to achieve in a particular session. The players can feel it and they can ask questions, so when they go out on the pitch they've got a good understanding."
The big year ahead
This is an important year for the Three Lions, who will compete with the best teams in the world at May's International Blind Sports Association World Games (catchy, eh?) in Seoul. It's a particularly big tournament for them this time out, having not qualified for last year's World Championships.
Recent form has been strong: England are unbeaten in 13 games, having played Japan in three February friendlies, winning two and drawing one. But they're still behind the likes ofBrazil, Argentina, Spain, France and China, who have all enjoyed professional status for longer and brag better participation levels.
In August, Pugh's Three Lions will compete in the European Championship in front of a home crowd in Hereford, and must finish in the top two to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.
"The World Games is going to be a huge tournament in terms of our preparation for the European Championship," says the England chief. "We've done very well over the last 12 months," adds Seal.
"We've gone undefeated in 13 games and had some fantastic results but they've all been friendly matches," the skipper continues. "Tournament experience at the World Games will be a great marker for us in terms of how we're doing. We're fully expecting to go into the Euros challenging for the gold medal.
"We've probably got the most technically adept and fittest squad we've ever had, and you can rely on every player to start a game and do a great job."
But what of England's fully-sighted goalkeepers? "I think within our three we've definitely got the best in the world in Dan James, and the other two aren't far behind him," says Pugh. "I don't think a professional goalkeeper who has just retired would be able to meet the standard of our goalkeepers."
Play up, people
But the sport in England needs some help. Despite its popularity at the 2012 Paralympics, Seal says there's been no growth in participation levels. "Sadly there's not been a positive influence," he admits.
"We've had some nice cases of some young players coming up through different channels, but the participation levels in our national league haven't really increased."
It's a statement backed up by Pugh. "Introducing new players into the sport and team [is the hardest thing]," he says. "Relatively small numbers play blind football, but the FA have invested a lot of time and resources into creating a scouting network team."
So there's plenty of reasons for positivity, but blind footballers: England needs you.
featureFri, 27 Mar 2015 11:58:03 +0000Joe Brewin365636 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEstonia emerging from the shadows of Soviets and skiingFormer FourFourTwo Editor turned Champions chiefPaul Simpson reflects on the Baltic nation determined to make its mark on Europe...Paul Simpsonhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/estonia-emerging-shadows-soviets-and-skiing
Estonia has a rare flair for making the wrong kind of football history. Eighteen years ago, in a dispute over the calibre of floodlights at Tallinn’s Kadrioru stadium, the national side refused to play a World Cup qualifier against Scotland. After three seconds – during which the Tartan Army chanted “There’s only one team in Tallinn” – the match was abandoned and later, for reasons known only to FIFA, replayed as a 0-0 draw in Monaco.
That episode was embarrassing. Estonia’s 0-0 draw away to San Marino in November – a result that secured the home side’s first ever point in European Championship qualifying – was shameful. San Marino’s first point after 61 straight defeats prompted Barney Ronay to ask where he could catch the highlights, to which Gary Lineker tweeted: “Relax, after 61 defeats, they’ll make a movie.”
In between these twin depths, Kuressaare defender Jaanis Kriska earned the unwanted distinction of scoring the fastest-ever own goal, after five seconds in September 2009, in an 8-0 defeat to Levadia Tallinn.
FEATUREOne team in Tallinn: when Scotland kicked off against nobody – and still didn't win
These were not the kind of headlines Estonia wanted to make in 1991 when, fired by the kind of optimism that only newly-restored independence can generate, they entered qualifying for the 1994 World Cup.
For Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, simply competing in the World Cup was morale-raising proof that, after 50 years of occupation by the Soviets, Nazis and Soviets again, they belonged to the global community of nations once more.
In his book Football Against The Enemy, Simon Kuper reflects on Estonia’s 6-0 home defeat to Switzerland, whom they face again this Friday: “The Estonians were a soft lot. The main thing they had in common with the great Soviet sides of the 1980s was the lack of any will to win.”
Attacking constantly against Roy Hodgson’s Swiss side, but never tackling, Estonia were ridiculed for their naivety. As Kuper noted: “Hodgson spoke approvingly of Malta who were ‘realistic about their ability’ and played more defensively. It was sad to think of Estonia curbing their style so as to lose 3-0 instead of 6-0.”
The only Estonian footballer to impress Kuper was central midfielder Martin Reim who, in his words, “played like a Baltic Carlos Valderrama”, setting up team-mates who didn’t have a clue how to score.
Danger dearth
Not knowing how to score has been a recurring theme in Estonia’s Euro 2016 campaign. In four games so far they have done so just once, Ats Purje finishing from close range against 10-man Slovenia. However, they have only conceded twice: Estonia’s Swedish coach Magnus Pehrsson has heeded Hodgson’s advice, made a realistic appraisal of his resources and done a Malta.
That hasn’t necessarily made Estonia any easier on the eye. Nor has it helped the country develop a distinct football identity. According to Angelo Palmeri,editor ofthe only English-language portal devoted to Estonian football: “In theory, Estonians love good attacking football. In practice, especially against the powerhouses, they sit back and wait to strike on the counter.”
When raising their game, as they did while losing 1-0 to England last October, the national side epitomise the diehard spirit of a nation that has defied a terrible history. At their worst, as at San Marino, they can be so listless as to leave many fans feeling they’d rather watch basketball.
The 22 years since that hammering by Switzerland have been a tough reality check for Estonian football – as it has for so for many of the countries to emerge from the wreckage of the Soviet Union.
That is even true of Russia, who have won just two matches at World Cup finals since 1994 and didn’t even qualify for three finals. In the Soviet era, the failure of many gifted players to display even a glimmer of competitive instinct was, some pundits argued, ideologically driven. In a post-Marxist/Leninist Russia, the explanation for the unerring consistency with which the national side loses when it matters remains elusive.
Fashion disasters
Estonia cannot match Russia’s spectacular record of underachievement. It has learned to take comfort in the occasional against-odds triumph – such as its 3-1 victory away to Serbia in October 2010, hailed as the most important result in the history of Estonian football, or club side Nömme Kalju’s victories in the qualifying rounds of UEFA club competitions – and persevere in the hope that things will get better.
And they are, slowly. Reim, the Baltic Valderrama, now coaches the country’s under-21s having never played in a foreign league, whereas centre-back Ragnar Klavan, Estonia’s captain and player of the year in 2013 and 2014, plays for Augbsurg.
Eighteen-year-old winger/striker Frank Liivak is so determined to make it in Spain that he has joined fourth-tier club Alcobendas Sport to learn the language and culture as he seeks to climb up the league ladder.
Another 18-year-old youth international, Fulham's Mattias Käit, is the likely focal point of Estonia’s attack in years to come, according to AngeloPalmeri.
The inspiration for all these players is Mart Poom, a goalkeeper still affectionately remembered at Derby after a five-year spell there, even though he headed an injury-time equaliser against them for Sunderland in September 2003. Poom’s autobiography My Story sold 9,000 copies in its first month on sale in Estonia and is being devoured by many of the country’s footballers who aspire to be – and this may sound a sad aspiration, but remember this is still a relatively young football country – bigger than Poom.
The export trade in footballers can be hit and miss – Estonian footballers are hardly fashionable, and one bad injury can be enough to marginalise them at foreign clubs – but Palmeri is convinced it remains the best hope for improving the national team and the game. “The more young Estonian footballers complete their education abroad, the better it will be for Estonian football in the future,” he says. That will sound depressingly pragmatic to many Estonian fans but he is probably right.
From scratch
Yet there is more to Estonia’s football history than a dismal procession of false dawns and dashed hopes. The country was in chaos when it declared independence in 1991, so the fact it has a semi-professional top flight, the Premium Liiga, a decent non-league competition and a national side that can, on its day, upset the likes of Serbia is a kind of triumph.
Like neighbouring Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia had to create a football industry almost from scratch in the early 1990s.
It didn’t help that, Palmeri says, “In Soviet times football was seen as the sport of the occupying forces. As an act of silent rebellion, Estonians preferred basketball and cross-country skiing.”
Though Estonians have learned to like football, a basketball game typically attracts around 1,000 spectators, compared to 256 for a Premium Liiga match. (The country’s population is only 1.3m.)
Soviet rule had stifled the country’s love for the game. Luckily, some Estonians decided to change that. Striker, referee and children’s author Aivar Pohlak was one of those pioneers, founding FC Flora in 1990 and later becoming president of the Estonian FA.
He is hardly your typical football administrator, eschewing blazers for the wardrobe of a 1970s rock guitarist, though maybe such unorthodoxy helps if you aim to build a sport from nothing.
As he told FFTon a Tallinn visit in December 2010, launching a football club in Estonia in the 1990s was a leap of faith. Why should fans go to a stadium when they could watch Europe’s finest at home on TV or the internet? The challenge for clubs like Flora, he said, was to show Estonians their club was worth loving.
Pohlak’s multi-tasking role has caused controversy – and comedy. He also partly owns Kuressaare and, two years ago, refereed one of their cup ties. The assistant referees on that day were his daughter Anna, and his future son-in-law Tomi Rahula. Pohlak’s son Pelle happened to be playing for Kuressaare, who won 1-0. The Estonians have a saying for such events – “ainuit Estonia” – “only in Estonia”.
Four teams in Tallinn
The best measure of Pohlak’s success is not silverware – though Flora have won nine league titles – but the calibre of the opposition he now faces.
The irony of that “one team in Tallinn” chant is that Estonia’s charming capital is home to four Premium Liiga sides: Levadia, Nömme Kalju and FC Infonet. Tallinn’s 'Clasico' pits Flora against reigning champions Levadia, who changed their name after metal and recycling entrepreneur Viktor Levada acquired them.
Nömme Kalju (champions in 2012 and owned by nightclub impresario Kuno Tehva) and FC Infonet (owned by former IT programmer Andrei Leshkin, who manages the internet company of the same name) are the closest rivals to Flora and Levadia.
The one idea that could transform Estonian football, the much-debated Baltic League, may never happen because Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would lose their automatic entry into the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
So the next big step forward may have to be inspired by an overachieving qualifying campaign – it's probably too late for Euro 2016 – or an Estonian footballer becoming 'bigger than Poom'. Indeed, as Palmeri points, one of Estonia’s most promising prospects is Infonet keeper Matvei Igonen, an under-21 international who has had trials in Italy.
Although tabloid hacks, impatient fans and mega-rich owners pretend otherwise, long-term success in football is often built on the ability to manage failure. Only one team can win the league or cup every season and every four years 177 countries miss out on the World Cup finals.
For most clubs, teams, players, coaches and countries, the absence of silverware is not a catastrophe, requiring an immediate, inordinate knee-jerk reaction – it’s everyday life.
They learn to measure their progress in subtler ways. Estonian football has shown its stickability – through Pohlak and his fellow founding fathers, Klavan holding his own at over-achieving Aubsurg and Livaak playing in Spain’s fourth tier in expectation of a brighter future.
If you had to reduce Estonia’s progress as a football nation since 1990 to a soundbite it would be 'spectacular' – and, from a fan’s point of view, slightly unsatisfactory.
featureThu, 26 Mar 2015 12:21:18 +0000Joe Brewin366388 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com